GWM Cannon Alpha ute to arrive in both hybrid and diesel

SIGNIFYING ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP in GWM’s growing local product portfolio, the company has announced that the new GWM Cannon Alpha will arrive in Australian showrooms around mid-year.

As the largest GWM product to date, the Cannon Alpha will be available with a choice of powerful hybrid and diesel powertrains, potentially making the Cannon Alpha the first Ute in Australia to offer a full hybrid powertrain.

The addition of the Cannon Alpha will also strengthen GWM’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) strategy with it becoming the brand’s sixth NEV offering (in addition to Jolion Hybrid, H6 Hybrid, Tank 300 Hybrid, Tank 500 Hybrid and Ora EV).

The GWM Cannon Alpha offers a strong combination of premium design, excellent on and off-road performance, intelligent technology, strength and capability.

The range-topping 2.0-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine offers combined outputs of 255kW and 648Nm of torque while the 2.4-litre turbo diesel delivers 135kW of power and 480Nm of torque. Both are mated to a GWM-developed 9-speed automatic transmission.

Maximum braked towing capacity for both powertrains is 3500kg.

Featuring a brand new intelligent All-Terrain system with three driving modes, the Cannon Alpha also offers locking front and rear differentials. Mated to a world-class Borg Warner 4×4 transfer case, the Cannon Alpha is as capable off-road as on.

Also available and adding to the Cannon Alpha’s versatility is a smart 60/40 split rear tailgate, which can be opened in two simple but effective ways. A short press on the button on the rear tailgate provides access to the rear tub via the 60/40 opening while a longer press on the same button opens the full tailgate while being supported by a soft-open feature.

A combination of tough exterior design and sizing larger than the current GWM Cannon Ute and its dual cab competitors certainly provides a strong on-road presence for Cannon Alpha.

Overall length is 5445mm (35mm longer than Cannon Ute), width is 1991mm (57mm wider than Cannon Ute) and height is 1924mm (38mm taller than Cannon Ute). Wheelbase of 3350mm is also longer than that of existing Cannon Ute (by 120mm).

These larger dimensions allow for a roomier cabin with highlight features and technology such as a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-speaker Infinity premium audio, wireless phone charging plus heated, ventilated and massaging front seats in luxurious Nappa leather (grade dependent).

Pricing and full feature list to be published closer to launch date.